Sailing from Galveston. Not very pretty sail out?

[mlbcruiser]

I was told not to expect to see anything scenic or attractive sailing out of the port of Galveston. Does the water at appear pretty, or kind of yucky - like heading out from New Orleans?  

Thanks for any info!

[Texas Tillie]

54 minutes ago, mlbcruiser said:

I was told not to expect to see anything scenic or attractive sailing out of the port of Galveston. Does the water at appear pretty, or kind of yucky - like heading out from New Orleans?  

Thanks for any info!

 

Let me explain the Gulf of Mexico/Mississippi River connection. All the silt emptied into the Mississippi from Minnesota to the delta flows to the west after it enters the Gulf Of Mexico. Therefore, the water is usually murky along the entire Texas coast. The water along the Florida Gulf of Mexico coast is not murky, hence the city named Clearwater. Thus ends your hydrology lecture for today! 😎

[mlbcruiser]

Thanks a bunch, Texas Tillie. 

Clearwater was my go to beach when I was in high school, so I know that water well. So basically we would have to wait until the day after embarkation to see any un-silty water, I guess?

[TNcruising02]

1 hour ago, mlbcruiser said:

I was told not to expect to see anything scenic or attractive sailing out of the port of Galveston. Does the water at appear pretty, or kind of yucky - like heading out from New Orleans?  

Thanks for any info!

Whoever told you that was correct.  New Orleans and Galveston are both unattractive ports to sail from with murky water.  In Galveston, people at the beach will get into the water, but having visited really nice beaches I wouldn't touch it.  There is also tons of sea weed.  It's not a pretty sight.  I am sure the locals are used to it though.

However, Galveston makes up for the undesirable port with a great group of passengers who are extremely friendly and polite. Galveston passengers are my favorite general group out of all of the ports I have sailed from.

If you go into it knowing that the water will look nothing like the beautiful ports in Florida and the port is more industrial, you won't be disappointed.

[Texas Tillie]

45 minutes ago, TNcruising02 said:

  In Galveston, people at the beach will get into the water, but having visited really nice beaches I wouldn't touch it.  There is also tons of sea weed.  It's not a pretty sight.  I am sure the locals are used to it though.
 

 

Sea weed comes and goes. It's not there all the time. 

[TNcruising02]

1 hour ago, Texas Tillie said:

 

Sea weed comes and goes. It's not there all the time. 

Two of the times we there there, we stayed in a hotel across from the beach.  It was all over the beach and very thick.  There were people who didn't seem to mind though.  It's just that I am used to beaches like Destin, Florida, so it spoiled me.  Many people are probably fine with it. Between the seaweed and the dark water, it just wasn't very inviting.

I wish they had more itineraries from Galveston because despite the port, we really like the cruisers.  A much better group as a whole than any other port I have sailed from.

We also really enjoyed staying in Galveston.  There is a lot going on near the beach and we had fun walking around.

Edited October 22, 2019 by TNcruising02

[Host Kat]

@mlbcruiser

 

Howdy and let me be the first to welcome you to Texas!

 

Before you get here, you might want to check out the GALVESTON.COM cruise video cam at the port on turnaround days. I suggest you start watching about 30 minutes before your ship's departure time. There have been times when the cruise ships leave a little earlier than their posted times. Once out of port, you can continue to watch departing ships from the Emerald video cam for a bit.

 

Hopefully you will have our frisky dolphins "playing" around your ship when you sail. 🐬 🐬 🐬 🐬🐬

 

Happy sails,

 

Host Kat

[BallFour4]

Sail-away in Galveston is a great start to a vacation. We've experienced it thirty-six times from here. It's a short trip down the channel, a slight left turn and a sweeping right past the USCG station and hello open water.
 Galveston and Carnival are bullish on each other. We returned to cruising from here in three short weeks after Ike and this summer was one of the busiest in hotel occupancy in a decade.
 The Strand, Moody Gardens, the Bryan Museum, the Elissa, Railroad Museum and more draw thousands across the causeway. I come across several times a week for my career, and we're down here almost every weekend.
 Seaweed is transient. We get it about every two or three years and have figured out a way to turn it into dune preservation. It's a natural protective barrier.


 Take a look at some of my favorites from our island, then decide.

 

.

Edited October 22, 2019 by BallFour4

[Host Kat]

@TNcruising02 and @BallFour4

 

Thank you both for your kind words about our friendly passengers, fun things to do here and the great pictures!  

 

As for more itineraries, did y'all see the Carnival press release in the Galveston Carnival Fourth Ship thread? There will be some different itineraries as well as different cruise lengths in the future.

 

Thanks again to you both,

 

Host Kat

 

Edited to add: Next time, don't forget to wave wildly to the cruise cam on top of the Harbor House hotel during sailaway!

 

 

Edited October 23, 2019 by Host Kat
additional info

[BallFour4]

6 minutes ago, Host Kat said:

@TNcruising02 and @BallFour4

 

Thank you both for your kind words about our friendly passengers, fun things to do here and the great pictures!  

 

As for more itineraries, did y'all see the Carnival press release in the Galveston Carnival Fourth Ship thread? There will be some different itineraries as well as different cruise lengths in the future.

 

Thanks again to you both,

 

Host Kat

 We did. We've been on every Carnival ship that has floated to the dock in Galveston. I grew up surfing 53rd street and spend lots of weekends drowning shrimp in Galveston bays.
 If you are on the Strand or near the dock in front of Willie G's on Sundays when the ships sail look for us. Ellie the Golden will be with us if we aren't on the bicycles.

[TNcruising02]

3 minutes ago, BallFour4 said:

 We did. We've been on every Carnival ship that has floated to the dock in Galveston. I grew up surfing 53rd street and spend lots of weekends drowning shrimp in Galveston bays.
 If you are on the Strand or near the dock in front of Willie G's on Sundays when the ships sail look for us. Ellie the Golden will be with us if we aren't on the bicycles.

Great pictures!  There is so much to do in Galveston and I would really like to see more of the city when we return someday for a future cruise.

[mlbcruiser]

Thanks for the information and all the great pics! Very helpful. Thanks so much. 

[TNcruising02]

3 hours ago, Host Kat said:

@TNcruising02 and @BallFour4

 

Thank you both for your kind words about our friendly passengers, fun things to do here and the great pictures!  

 

As for more itineraries, did y'all see the Carnival press release in the Galveston Carnival Fourth Ship thread? There will be some different itineraries as well as different cruise lengths in the future.

 

Thanks again to you both,

 

Host Kat

 

Edited to add: Next time, don't forget to wave wildy to the cruise cam on top of the Harbor House hotel during sailaway!

 

 

Thanks for the link to the new cruise itineraries and lengths.  That is exciting!  I'll definitely have to plan another cruise out of Galveston.

[Galveston Cruiser]

18 hours ago, Texas Tillie said:

 

Sea weed comes and goes. It's not there all the time. 

Seaweed, Sargassum, comes from the Sea of Sargasso in the Atlantic and is an ecological feeding and breeding system for marine life.  From floating in the Atlantic, it moves with currents from Florida to the Caribbean..  We have seen it on the beaches in Florida, Mexico, Caribbean and the Atlantic.  When it appears on the beaches in Galveston, the Park Board removes it, but very carefully, as it is also a nesting place for sea turtles.

 

For those that believe the water is dirty, that is the silt from the Mississippi River which moves west with the currents.  Living here, we more often see "pretty" water than those that visit once or twice a year.  The beaches are clean due to the diligence of the Galveston Park Board which oversees all the beaches - 32 miles!  Our sand is a different grade due to much shallower and warmer water.

[marci4tony]

Galveston has been on my bucket list for a long time!  I am super excited to see it!  (23 days!)

 

Staying a Guidos (from a recommendation) and departing on Vista.

 

Dont judge!!  Idaho is landlocked, and there are not "beaches" here!  LOL

 

Thank you for the photos - those are super cool! 

[bptex]

Galveston's water clarity can vary depending on the season. I look at it more like the beaches in New Jersey, Delaware and New York. They are a whole lot nicer than not having one and it's very functional but it's nothing like the clear blue water and white sands in the eastern gulf cities.

[sptrout]

One thing not mentioned that I enjoy looking at during sailing out of Galveston is looking at all the oil rigs. May sound odd, but they are pretty at night with all their lights on. You will sail by many rigs all night long and well into the next day. If you have never seen oil well platforms seeing them will give you a better understanding of what is required to get oil from the Gulf.

[ssb]

34 minutes ago, sptrout said:

One thing not mentioned that I enjoy looking at during sailing out of Galveston is looking at all the oil rigs. May sound odd, but they are pretty at night with all their lights on. You will sail by many rigs all night long and well into the next day. If you have never seen oil well platforms seeing them will give you a better understanding of what is required to get oil from the Gulf.

Rig Alley In the Gulf 

 

[aknguyen]

It might not be as pretty as the Caribbean but who cares, I'm on a cruise!

[ssb]

On 10/25/2019 at 9:58 PM, aknguyen said:

It might not be as pretty as the Caribbean but who cares, I'm on a cruise!

Some sights around the Island 

cruisers may enjoy by coming in a couple of days early . 

You are missing what 7 million plus other visitors a year , enjoy by staying and playIng  on this major island tourist destination in the Great State of a Texas . 

32 miles of beach with two first class convention centers and full service hotels are present . 

Nature tourism abounds with strolling on the beach , shelling , birding , turtle restoration, hiking, kayaking, fishing and boating . 

Cultural and historical events are occurring weekly . Museums are everywhere . Second most Victorian homes exist in Galveston and a arts scene is exploding . 
A wonderful music community with

1894 Grand Opera House and other theater and music venues . 
 

Great restaurants with Gulf coastal presentations. 
 

Old Town Strand , Post Office and Market Streets 
are filled with shops and food with old world charm from the 1800’s . Carriage rides . Tours! 
 

Major amusement parks are on island . 
Moody Gardens and Pleasure Pier. 
 

NASA Space Center is great place . 
 

Large festivals draw huge crowds 
throughout the year . 
Featherfest , Lone Star Motorcycle Rally , Dickens on the Strand ,  Mardi Gras and many others . 
 

And Cruising industry has not been mentioned. 
 

 

Edited October 27, 2019 by ssb

[lifes-a-beach]

That’s some really good pics of Galveston. Thanks.

[marci4tony]

I'm sure the sail off out of Galveston will be phenomenal!!  I will add pix when I get back!

 

Beauty in the eye of the beholder, right?!  #landlockedinidaho #snowsucks

[ssb]

2 hours ago, marci4tony said:

I'm sure the sail off out of Galveston will be phenomenal!!  I will add pix when I get back!

 

Beauty in the eye of the beholder, right?!  #landlockedinidaho #snowsucks

 

IDAHO is beautiful also !

 

Will look forward to your photos !

 

Enjoy your cruise ! 

 

Toes in the water, Ass in the sand, Not a worry in the world, a Cold Beer in my Hand, Life is Good Today!!!

Zac Brown Band!!

[marci4tony]

Idaho - my other hobby (actually this was taken in Wyoming at Yellowstone National Park)

 

[ssb]

1 hour ago, marci4tony said:

Idaho - my other hobby (actually this was taken in Wyoming at Yellowstone National Park)

 

 

WOW !!

A great one !

Every photo of Idaho is beautiful !

We love mother nature and nature tourism !

Is why we are addicted to cruising from/to anywhere everywhere !

Our views are relative to us.

 

 

Edited October 29, 2019 by ssb